Dan Oturu, Elijah Bryant and Shane Larkin scored in double figures for the visitors
Strong fourth quarter lifts Efes to win over Virtus, 67-76
Anadolu Efes Istanbul started the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season in the best way possible, going on the road and overcoming Virtus Segafredo Bologna 67-76 on Friday night. In a tight and very physical game, Efes pulled away for good with a 2-15 run early in the fourth quarter, opening a double-digit lead and never allowing Virtus to threaten again.
Dan Oturu led Efes with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Elijah Bryant scored 12, and Shane Larkin had 11 points and 6 rebounds in the win. Isaia Cordinier paced Virtus with a game-high 16 points, while Tornike Shengelia scored 12 in a losing effort.
Game Videos
Efes got going behind Ercan Osmani and Oturu before back-to-back three from Darius Thompson and Osmani opened a 7-13 lead. After a Virtus timeout, however, the hosts replied with back-to-back triples from Daniel Hackett and Cordinier, sparking a 12-0 run capped by Mouhamet Diouf that opened a 19-13 advantage, with Virtus 21-15 ahead after 10 minutes.
The battle became even more physical in the second quarter. Diouf's three-point play made it 24-17, but Jordan Nwora answered with a three-pointer. Ante Zizic had a big put-back dunk, yet Larkin's triple, on his first shot of the night with 4:52 left in the second quarter, tied things at 27-27. Virtus replied with seven straight points, five of which coming from the foul line, but Oturu's three-point play sparked Efes's answer. Oturu finished the half with a dunk just before the buzzer, meaning the two teams were tied, 36-36, at halftime.
Efes had a great start to the second half. Fueled by Bryant, who scored 6 points, and helped by a three-point play from Oturu, Efes made a 0-11 run to open the third quarter as it took the first double-digit lead of the game, 36-47. Virtus needed nearly five minutes to score in the second half, but Cordinier's basket started a 7-0 run of their own, capped by a three-point play from Shengelia. Marco Belinelli's wide-open corner triple started another 7-0 run from Virtus, capped again by Shengelia, who put the hosts back in front. Virtus led 52-51 after 30 minutes.
In the fourth, Larkin's tough jumper and Vincent Poirier's dunk restored the lead for Efes before three triples on consecutive possessions – one by Rodrigue Beaubois and two by Larkin – made it 56-66. A runner from Bryant set a 58-70 score with under five minutes to go. Virtus attempted a rally, holding Efes without a basket for almost four minutes, but Efes made several defensive stands and saw its win over the line.